Alma Schrader principal's dance class removes pounds, stress

It started with a few long strides forward and some steps back.

Then came the hips.

"I think a man would feel very uncomfortable in here," said Amber Wellin, a preschool aide at Jefferson and Alma Schrader elementary schools.

Alma Schrader principal Ruth Ann Orr started teaching Zumba classes for Cape Girardeau School District workers in September. The dance exercise is a mixture of styles, including, salsa, hip-hop and belly dancing.

Thursday afternoon, Orr and four other women glided, cha-cha-ed and shook their way around the gym at the Alternative Education Center for 45 minutes.

"I don't like to exercise, and this is the least like exercise you can get," said Wellin, who has lost 10 pounds since starting the regimen.

For Brandelin Frazier, a kindergarten assistant at Alma Schrader Elementary, the class is more about a lifestyle change.

"I feel healthier," Frazier said. "My goal is not so much weight loss."

The women said they do not always understand the hip gyrations and footwork but that the time flies as fast as the beat of the music. Gail Hoffman, a teacher at Central High School, said she always feel the effects of a good workout.

"One side hurt more than the other," she said, pointing to her abs. "I guess that was the side I could move better."

Each dance move targets muscle areas with arm thrusts and hip motions in sync with the music.

"Your arms are like Jell-O when you're done," Frazier said.

Alma Schrader Elementary was one of five Missouri schools recognized this month by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation for promoting a healthy lifestyle. The organizations formed an initiative in 2006 to fight obesity.

Orr teaches the class two times a week at the center and once at Alma Schrader Elementary, all open to the public. Depending on work schedules, she said, the class averages about 10 people.

She said the classes offer a cheaper alternative to gym membership. It is also a good escape from work stress, she said.

"It takes my mind off bad days real quick," Orr said.

abusch@seminssourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent addresses:

1360 Randol Ave. Cape Girardeau, MO

330 N. Spring St. Cape Girardeau, MO